Just a teensy-weensy reply to a certain "kawaii-pal" and "angel.w1ng" who reviewed my work... THANKS for even taking time to read! It's nice to know some people actually care for my work. Hehe. I always love writing stuff, fanfic or original fic, whatever. It's a way for me to detoxify myself after all those crappy college academics...

Anyway, "kawaii-pal", you wanted to know about pairings. Hm, let me see... Umi/Clef... Maybe! You're just going to have to wait a few more chapters. Don't you just love that element of surprise when reading a story?

Besides, pretty girls like Umi often beat the rest of us dorks when it comes to romance. So, I tried to break away from that stereotype by introducing her into the story as just like one of us. I want to develop her personality and thoughts about Cephiro first before she confronts any other feelings for that "special someone", whoever that will be. I'm just as curious as you guys are!

Now, moving on with the story...

CHAPTER FOUR: Stagnant Peace

Umi, all dressed up and clean, went to the spacious kitchen for breakfast. She arrived and saw that Hikaru was already there, sipping from a huge mug.

"What's that?" Umi asked as a kindly female palace servant placed a large plate of sumptuous meats, eggs, and bread before her. Umi seated herself opposite Hikaru.

"Hot chocolate," replied Hikaru, taking another sip. Umi clucked her tongue.

"Hikaru, it must be over forty degrees here!" Umi speared a wide slice of meat into her mouth. "Mmm! This tastes even better than Parisien food! What's it made of?"

"What you don't know won't hurt you." Umi laughed and without looking at where the voice came from, she knew. Ascot.

"May I join you, ladies?" he asked. Hikaru grinned and nodded. Ascot asked the servant for cold water and some bread. "I already ate with Caldina before they went to patrol the woods."

"About the monsters?"

Umi and Ascot turned to look at the doorway. Fuu entered and sat down facing Hikaru. Hikaru raised an eyebrow at Fuu and Umi. "Monsters? What monsters?"

Sighing, Umi told Hikaru of the events of the past day, starting from her crazy nosebleed in the restaurant. Hikaru seemed genuinely afraid.

"Do you think it has something to do with what's troubling Cephiro?" she asked Ascot. Ascot shrugged.

"Only Master Clef really knows what's going on," he replied. "Sometimes he tells Sierra about many things and Sierra, who trusts Lantis, tells him. Primera, that silly fairy, overhears the conversation and so blunders about it to Mokona, who communicates with anyone he damn well pleases. As far as I know, I usually get the news last nowadays. I couldn't care much, really."

"At least you get the news," muttered Fuu. Umi threw her friend a worried glance and went back to finish her breakfast. Hikaru said nothing because she knew nothing.

"I want to know about the monsters," said Hikaru eagerly. Ascot sighed.

"We don't know where they're coming from. So far, only very few of them have been spotted. Still, they pose a very grave threat if left unchecked."

"You mean to say they've been here quite a long time?" Umi asked.

"Master Clef thinks that they were never really gone," Ascot told her. "I think they're remnants of past evils done to Cephiro. There's always a dark side to life here. It sucks because no one's really used to much peace around here, except the young ones. The older ones, myself included, still have a not-so-easy time adjusting."

"Not even after ten years?" Fuu asked. "Isn't peace what you people always wanted?"

Ascot nodded. "I know. It may be hard to understand but something's down in Cephiro. We all feel it in our gut. It's like... How should I put it? Like... Cephiro's reached its limit, you know? It's like Cephiro has been fated to die or has been dying from the beginning of its inception."

"Aren't we all?" muttered Hikaru, finishing her mug of hot chocolate. "I cannot lie that I am not bothered by what happened to me before I got here because I am." She looked meaningfully at Umi and Fuu. "I want to know why we're back here when everything was supposed to be all right with Cephiro. I gave Cephiro my word of honor that it shall have lasting peace until its end. The end is far too soon."

At that moment, Sierra appeared by the doorway. "Master Clef is waiting."

Hikaru, Umi, and Fuu all stood up. Ascot said, "I hope you tell me what's the matter with Cephiro. I hate being left in the dark." Umi winked at him and followed Sierra to where Clef was. They were led in a room facing the sun. The wise mage of Cephiro was sitting on a couch. Hikaru, Umi, and Fuu inclined their heads towards him. Sierra did so as well and left the room.

"Please, have a seat," said Clef. The three ladies sat down beside each other, facing Clef. His staff lay prone on the floor beside him.

Hikaru had wanted to ask about the monsters and about what was happening to her but decided against it. She suddenly felt selfish. She should be asking about Cephiro, not herself.

Clef looked at each of them long and hard. He took time memorizing their faces and recalling years gone by when they were young and naïve girls from another world.

"So much time has passed," Master Clef began as the three listened in silence. "So much time gone to waste. You do not need to ask why you have been called back to Cephiro."

"It's good to be back," Umi lied but Master Clef saw right through her ad she quailed beneath his stare.

"There need not be falsehoods between us, Magic Knights," he told them. Of course, what was the point? Master Clef was powerful and so was his mind-reading ability. Umi wanted to kick herself. "You need not deny that the idea of being back in Cephiro is not a welcome thought. For after all, you hold no loyalty to this place and no one here holds you to such a loyalty."

Umi suddenly snapped, "Oh, hell! What's this speech? Loyal or not, we always find ourselves back here whenever something a little fidgety goes wrong in Cephiro! Really, Master Clef! Are you people here that helpless?"

Fuu piped in. "I do not understand it either, Master Clef. For a long time now, I have been thinking that you are the most powerful person in the whole of Cephiro. What do you still need us for?"

"It was not my wish to have you back here," Clef said defensively.

Hikaru, who had not spoken a word, finally said, "I heard you praying. Praying for Cephiro. Praying for salvation."

Umi rolled her eyes and pointed at Hikaru. "Hear that? She heard you! What kind of salvation do you need now, eh? Honestly, Master Clef, and I just might as well say it out loud now because I don't like you reading my thoughts, that I'm tired of killing. I'm tired. It's over. I think I must have sustained a million internal injuries here and I don't want a repeat of that painful experience."

Clef remained calm despite Umi's verbal attack. He said, "I prayed for salvation, yes. A permanent one. Cephiro was meant to be a paradise for our people."

"So was earth until Eve ate that stupid fruit and got us all headed for doom," Umi muttered. Master Clef closed his eyes for a moment. He turned his face slightly so that the warm rays of the sun touched his cheek. Hikaru did the same.

Permanent salvation, Fuu thought. Who can give it to Cephiro? How? Then, it dawned on Fuu.

"Master Clef---"

"Cephiro needs a Pillar," Hikaru said for her. Umi stopped glowering at Clef to look at Hikaru. Fuu sighed. "It is the only way, isn't it, Master Clef?"

He gave her no answer because he did not want to. It would be too much of a burden. He could not let Hikaru go through that again. And Lantis would go berserk...

"Cephiro could not be ridden of these monsters without the Pillar," Clef explained. He picked up his staff and stood up, then faced the sun. "Cephiro's existence is based on a Supreme Will, that of the Pillar. This has been so for eons until Princess Emeraude. The Pillar is the foundation of Cephiro. The Pillar gives life to Cephiro. Without a Pillar, all life ends here."

"But I wished for that system to be abolished!" Hikaru said forcibly. She clenched her hands. "I don't understand! I wished for it! That wish was supposed to have been granted."

Clef turned and looked at her with such sadness and pain in his eyes. "It was, Hikaru."

It took Hikaru and the others a while before fully realizing what was at stake. Hikaru felt her world crash down upon her. I wished for it... Remove the Pillar System... Remove Cephiro's life...

"Oh dear," Umi whispered. Fuu closed her eyes. This could not be happening.

"I... I w-wished for Cephiro's... death," Hikaru whispered. Looking up at Clef with regret in her eyes, "It was not my intention to... I didn't know..."

Clef smiled at her. "Hikaru, it was not your fault. It cannot be helped for such is the way things were destined for Cephiro. Sacrifice is what gives life to the planet. That's why all things in Cephiro are loved and taken good care of. We value life, Hikaru. It is the only way the people can repay the single life and freedom given up for their own."

His face turned a little darker as a passing cloud obliterated the light coming from the sun. "The Pillar represents all that is good and pure. Yet unknown to many, the Pillar also represents Cephiro as a whole. Hence, the Pillar is good and evil, light and dark, male and female, courage and fear. What makes an individual a Pillar is the ability of control and selflessness, enough to restrain the dark side of the body's soul and that of Cephiro.

"The people of Cephiro have free will. They can think and do, as they like. Yet Cephiro is a magical place where a single thought can make or unmake great things. The possibilities in Cephiro are limitless. This creates a problem for us. Without a Pillar, there is no Supreme Will to control unbound thoughts and actions and emotions. The Pillar is balance, integrity, and security. Without a Pillar, we risk creating a second Debonair. Peace has become stagnant in Cephiro."

Clef fell silent and waited for a few moments before speaking again. "Your body, Hikaru, is reacting to Cephiro's suffering. It runs deeper than we think. The short time that you became the Pillar of Cephiro has made an impact on your body that whatever ails Cephiro, so it ails you. I wish I could help ease your suffering but I cannot. And because Umi and Fuu are bound to you, so have they come back together with you."

The cloud passed and light flooded again into the room. One with Cephiro. Fuu suddenly found herself thinking about Ferio's son's future. Fuu then asked, "What would you have us do, Master Clef?"

"Find the next Pillar of Cephiro."

Hikaru sighed and stood up. "All right, Master Clef. We will do all we can."

"But how would we know if we've found the true Pillar?" asked Umi. Clef replied, "The Rune Gods are elements of Cephiro. I assume that it is by their power, wielded through you, that you shall find the true Pillar."

The three Magic Knights then asked permission to leave. Clef let them go. Outside, the three started talking.

"Hikaru, you and Eagle were the last ones to hold that crown," said Umi, walking alongside Hikaru. Fuu was on Hikaru's other side.

Smiling, Hikaru said, "I know what it is you're thinking but no. I have forfeited the right to become the Pillar when I wished for the system to be abolished. That means, I basically abolished myself."

"Then, what about Eagle?" asked Fuu.

Hikaru shrugged. "If he's still alive, I doubt he'd become the next Pillar. My wish was granted, right? And Cephiro can only have that power vested in one individual at a time. Now I wish it had been him instead of me."

"Puu puu puuu!"

Mokona jumped onto Umi and she shrieked. "Get off me you silly animal!" Mokona next jumped into Hikaru's arms and stayed there. Hikaru laughed. "Mokona! How have you been, little thing?"

"Puu puu puu puuu!"

She laughed again. "I guess that translates to really, really good! And you got heavier and fatter, too! Now, what on Cephiro have you been eating, eh?"

Mokona made his ears flap and poof! A huge banquet of food and beverage appeared at the other end of the hallway. Hikaru's eyes almost dropped out of their sockets.

"FOOD!" Hikaru exclaimed, jumping up and down and ogling at the various dishes. Even Umi and Fuu were impressed. "Oh Mokona! You're so adorable!"

"Puu puu puuu!"

While the girls and Mokona delved into the feast, they did not notice the dark figure that had been watching them since they went into Clef's room.

Clef, who had been standing directly facing the sun after the Magic Knights left, said, "What now, Lantis?"

Lantis stood a few steps from Clef. "You did not tell them."

"That was the plan. The less they know, the better. I only told them what was necessary for them to know."

"Send them back to where they came from."

"I cannot do that. If they will it with all their heart and soul, then they will go back."

Lantis' voice became stronger. "Don't play with them, Clef! They are not dolls or slaves! Only death awaits the Pillar and you know it!"

"Lantis? You sound afraid. Your emotions are clouding your sense of reason---"

"You know that the only way for the system to be abolished is by death! Leave them out of this! Cephiro is not their place! Get them back to where they belong!"

Then, Clef turned around swiftly and bashed the floor loudly with the end of his long staff. He fixed angry eyes at Lantis and shouted, "I know what I'm doing, Lantis! I am still the High Mage of Cephiro and it is upon my shoulders that the future of Cephiro rests! My responsibility is greater than anyone can ever imagine and I will do everything in my power to ensure that my duty is carried out perfectly!"

"You do not understand that you are sending them blind into their death! They have done too much for Cephiro! Too much!"

"I know! And I understand more than you do, Lantis! I understand that your love for---"

Sierra suddenly came into the room and Clef cut himself short, took a deep breath and calmed himself down. "I don't want to choose between them and Cephiro. I did not want it to be. This is the reason why I am exhausting all possible options we have before we turn to our last resort. Self-sacrifice is the only way by which we can attain eternal salvation for Cephiro. It is the only way, Lantis. I, in my weakness, cannot do that. And neither can you. Not even for the woman who has your love and affection."

Lantis wanted to say something but instead, turned away in anger and left the room, almost knocking Sierra aside. Sierra approached Clef who sat down and was massaging the bridge of his nose.

"You cannot blame Lantis," said Sierra gently. "He's afraid, like the rest of us."

"He shows it in the meanest and most disrespectful way imaginable."

"I think you're quite wrong with your assessment of him. Lantis will give up his own happiness for Cephiro and for her."

Clef looked up at Sierra. "That sacrifice is not his to make. I cannot live to see another Emeraude, Sierra! She lived her life as the Pillar in a tangible form, susceptible to distraction and temptation of human life and freedom. The Pillar must exist, no longer as tangible but as an eternal force present in all things in Cephiro."

Sierra shook her head pityingly. "So then, you sent the Magic Knights to look for someone willing to commit suicide for Cephiro, just when life seemingly has begun to be good for the people."

Clef snorted. "With monsters attacking? These people are creating them from their thoughts! I have no ability to keep such dark thoughts and emotions from materializing. I wish I had."

"Don't beat up yourself over this squabble with Lantis," Sierra advised him, patting his shoulder. "The Magic Knights will find a way. They always do. The fact that they are here means there is still hope for Cephiro. What makes me afraid is that Hikaru would not be able to use Escudo if indeed, she had forfeited the right of becoming the Pillar. Hikaru is basically defenseless."

"Once a Pillar, always a Pillar," Clef told Sierra. "For the most part, the essence of Escudo is still Hikaru and her bond with the Rune God. However, the true nature of the sword will only come to the true Pillar. Hikaru may still have use of it in battle, perhaps, as Escudo but the sword's full potential can only be reached in the hands of the true Pillar of Cephiro."

"Then I shall hand it over to Hikaru for the time being. When they have found the true Pillar, Escudo will know." Sierra walked away from Clef. "When do you want them to leave?"

"As soon as possible."

Sierra nodded, inclined her head, and left the room. Clef looked up at the sky, closed his eyes, and prayed.

Let this not be the end of Cephiro. Let this not be our doom. Pillar of Cephiro, when will you come to deliver us?